Facing Death
by DragonTraining101
Summary: Set during Midnight Scrum. The masked man never resurfaces, so Ryker throws the dagger. Now it's a race against time to save Hiccup. Will Astrid be able to get him back to Berk before it's to late? Or will the Pride of Berk die in her arms? Slight Hiccstrid
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: My take on what might have happened if Race to The Edge was darker. Hiccup fights for his life after being rescued from Ryker.

After several months of not having a laptop I took the story down. I now have a table to finish the story. From chapter five onward it will be different than what I had originally written. I think it's better this way.

* * *

Ryker watched as the Riders flew in to rescue the Haddock boy, he turned and faced the younger man with a smile. He punched Hiccup in the stomach, causing his eyes to roll into the back of his head. He quickly flung the unconscious man and began to run toward the woods.

He didn't get very far, seeing as how the Night Fury quickly closed the distance and shot at him. His grip on Hiccup loosened causing him to drop him as he caught his footing. He grabbed the gangly man and pulled out his sword, which was promptly shot out his hand.

The blasted dragon quickly disarmed him and knocked off all of his protective gear, causing him to fall backwards. Hiccup was once again free from his grip. The Night Fury towered over him, threatening to go for the kill shot.

Ryker backed away, whimpering "No, don't."

"It's all right, Toothless, we got him," Chief Stoick stated as he patted the dragons head.

The Offspring of Lightning and Death gave the foul man one last growl before running over to Hiccup, who was starting to come to his senses.

Ryker stood and started brushing off the dirt, but he soon found himself hanging the air by Stoick

"I want you to deliver a message to Viggo," Stoick growled. "You put a bounty on one of us, you get all of us."

Before Ryker had time to respond, his world went black as he hit the ground.

Stoick cracked his neck and knuckles "Well that felt good."

He promptly walked over to Hiccup and Toothless. Astrid landed behind the trio and ran over to them.

"Hiccup, your leg," Astrid stated, her voice laced with worry "Are you okay?"

Hiccup shrugged as a wave of relief and exhaustion washed over him. "I'm okay. Let's just go home."

Astrid helped him up off the ground and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. Together they made their way over to Stormfly. Little did they know that Ryker had reawakened and was grabbing the dagger in his boot.

Hiccup screamed in agony as the weapon pierced through his padding and into his shoulder. The dagger buried itself to the hilt, deep into the young Vikings shoulder. He fell to the ground, grasping the dagger, trying to pull it out, only to have Astrid stop him.

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's hand. "Leave it in. If you pull it out, you'll just bleed out faster."

Hiccup didn't want to leave it in. "Astrid, it hurts."

"I know, Hiccup. Just leave it in. We'll get you Gothi, and she'll fix it right up," Astrid promised before turning to look at the other riders. "Heather, in my saddlebag, is bandages and cloth, bring them to me. Snotlout go get some fresh water from the lake. We need to clean and bandage the wound so that it doesn't get infected during the flight to Berk."

She looked at Hiccup, who was fighting to keep his eyes open. "Hiccup, I'm going to turn you on your side. It's going to hurt but just stay with me. You need to stay awake."

"I-I can't. So tired," Hiccup muttered.

"Just stay awake, Hiccup, for me," Astrid pleaded.

Hiccup nodded but ultimately failed. The more he fought the encompassing darkness the faster it came. Soon his world was enveloped in said darkness that wished to claim him

* * *

Author's Note: Well what do you guys think? Let me know in the reviews. If you wish to know what happens nextnext, click that little follow bottom and wait for the next chapter.

Ideas for future chapters are welcome

Special thanks to DraconicBeing2.0 for beta reading and helping me improve the story


	2. Chapter 2

Stoick watched in horror as his son fell to the ground with a dagger plunged into the back of his shoulder. He watched as Astrid leaped into action. He watched as Hiccup quickly lost the willpower to remain awake.

He stormed over to where Ryker stood, grinning at his accomplishment. He was going to wipe that smug look off of him.

"You vile, heartless, yak dung smelling, worthless piece of a man," Stoick roared as he picked him up off the ground once more. "Only a coward attacks a man when his back is turned."

"Only a coward would turn his back," Ryker retorted. "How ashamed you must be to have that boy as a son."

Stoick roared in anger and threw Ryker to the edge of the cliff. He caught the villain by the tunic and dangled him over the edge. "Do you want to know what my tribe was originally going to call me before settling on Stoick the Vast?"

Ryker gulped down air as a reply.

"Stoick the Vindictive," Stoick stated. "Revenge is what I'm best at. I'm telling you right now if my boy dies, there is nowhere you can hide. I will find you, torture you, and make you beg for death. You will only die when I say you can. Is that understood, Grimborn?"

Ryker nodded. In response to his answer, Stoick threw him into the biggest tree he could see.

By the time Stoick had gotten back to the group, Astrid had Hiccup bandaged and ready for transport.

The chief picked up his son and watched Astrid climb into place on Stormfly, so she could take Hiccup. He was going to fly Toothless back. "Astrid and Heather, go on ahead. We'll be right behind. We're going to try and find his leg." Toothless immediately started sniffing.

* * *

Astrid watched Hiccup's breathing, to make sure it didn't stop. Seeing Hiccup so vulnerable, so helpless, hurt her. She fought back the urge to cry. She'd known Hiccup all her life. Granted, she spent a large part of it avoiding him, just like all the other kids, but deep down, she had always had a small, very small crush on him. After the events with the Red Death, she started to fall for him hard. She did her best to conceal it, but ever since they found the Dragon Eye and started Dragon's Edge, it became harder.

Over the past few months, she's found it extremely hard to hide her true feelings. Right now, her true feelings were showing. No doubt Heather noticed.

"Don't worry, Astrid, Hiccup will be okay," Heather stated with a small sad smile.

At that moment, Hiccup's eyes shot open. He screamed in agony for a solid three seconds, before closing his eyes and going limp.

Astrid quickly placed her ear to Hiccup's chest. She listened as his heart slowed to stop. "NO, HICCUP!"

"We need to find a place to land," Heather stated. She searched the sea and found a small island. "There."

They landed. Heather helped get Hiccup off of Stormfly and laid him as flat as she could on his back, but proved unsuccessful. "We need to take the dagger out. I can't help him otherwise."

Astrid knew it was a bad idea, but they had no choice. "Okay. I'll take it out."

She grabbed the hilt and pulled it out swiftly. She rolled him over to his back, keeping her hand placed firmly on the wound to keep pressure on it. "How are you going to restart his heart?"

"Dagur taught me how when we were with the Hunters. I'm going to apply pressure to his chest, fast and hard. I might end up breaking his ribs. The result will be worth it," Heather explained.

She proceeded to place her hands together and push on his chest, just over his heart. She kept at it, pushing harder and harder. Eventually, the two young women heard a loud crack; Hiccup's ribs cracking from the pressure. The sound was sickening, but the end result was worth it.

Hiccups eyes fluttered open as he took a gasp of air.

"Hiccup. Thank Thor," Astrid breathed. She sat him up and gave him a hug with her free arm.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked.

"I'll tell you later, just relax. We need to change your bandages," Astrid said. "Heather, can you put pressure on the wound? I'll get some clean bandages."

Heather nodded and took over. "This is going to hurt, Hiccup."

Hiccup nodded. "I don't feel anything."

Heather looked at him with concerned eyes. That wasn't good. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Hiccup replied.

"Once we're back in the air, you can fall asleep," Heather promised.

"What happened? Why are we here?" Hiccup wondered.

Heather sighed. "Your heart stopped. We had to restart it."

"I-I had a weird dream. My ancestors were there. The-they were all sa-saying how proud they were of me," Hiccup rambled as he blinked slowly. "My mo-mom wasn't the-th-there though. Why, why wasn't she there? I-is she not pr-proud of me? Why is she disappointed in me?"

Tears ran down Hiccup's cheeks and into the sand beneath him. Heather brushed his hair out of his face. He was burning up. She turned and saw Astrid running back with the bandages.

"He has a fever," Heather said. "We need to hurry."

They quickly rewrapped Hiccup's shoulder and got him back on Stormfly. By the time they were back in the air, Hiccup had lost consciousness again.

Heather and Astrid pushed their dragons to go faster. They screeched in reply, but sped up.

* * *

Author's Note: Wow I am amazed at the response I have received. I hope the edits are pleasing.

Special thanks to DraconicBeing2.0 for being a great beta reader


	3. Chapter 3

They reached Gothi's hut as the moon became visible, high in the sky.

Astrid handed Hiccup off to Gobber, who had been standing by since Hiccup first went missing.

"What happened, lass?" Gobber asked he took Hiccup's limp form.

"Ryker threw a knife at him. He's lost a lot of blood. His heart's already stopped once," Astrid explained as she jumped off Stormfly. "How soon can Gothi start?"

"As soon as we get him into the hut," Gobber stated. "She has everything ready."

When they entered the hut, Gobber laid Hiccup on his stomach and began to take his armor and tunic off. That's when he noticed the missing prosthetic.

"Where's his leg?" Gobber questioned.

Astrid shrugged "We don't know. We found him without it."

Gothi set work cleaning blood off of Hiccup. As the blood was cleared away, you could see the almost black bruising surrounding the wound. You could also see bruises forming on his neck, wrists, and side. Astrid felt a bump on his head. Hiccup had been beaten, bound and knocked unconscious several times throughout the day. They used him as a human punching bag, all for the sake of gold. This made Astrid angry. She wanted to go back and pummel every single villain who laid a hand on Hiccup. Her Hiccup.

Gothi finished cleaning the wound and began to examine it. Once she was done, she picked up her staff and began writing.

"She says, 'Nothing vital was hit. He needs stitches and turtle medicine'," Gobber translated. "Turtle medicine?"

Gothi whacked him with her staff "Sorry 'herbal medicine'." The elder started writing again. "'She cannot do the stitching though. One of us needs to it while the other holds him down'."

"I'll do the stitching," Astrid offered. "My hands are steady and I have experience. Gobber, you hold him down."

After what seemed like forever, Astrid finished the stitches. Fifteen in all.

Gothi started writing in the sand. "She says 'We need to sit him up to bandage his shoulder and place it in a sling. After that she can examine the rest of him'," Gobber translated.

Astrid and Gobber did just that. After bandaging his shoulder and putting his arm in a sling, Gothi mixed some herbs together and ran them under Hiccup's nose, knowing the smell would wake him just long enough to find out what happened.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes and looked around getting a grasp on his surroundings "Astrid?"

"I'm here, Hiccup," Astrid replied, placing a comforting hand on his good shoulder. "Gothi just needs to ask you a few question. After that, you can back to sleep."

Hiccup nodded, drowsily "Okay."

Gothi began writing as Gobber translated. 'Where's your leg?'

"The masked bounty hunter grabbed it after we went over the cliff. I untied and kicked it off, causing him to fall," The dragon rider answered.

'The bruising on your neck and stomach,' Gothi wrote.

"The same man wrapped a chain around my neck and used it as a leash," Hiccup explained with a yawn. "Ryker punched me the stomach, knocking me out for the third time today. Can I go to sleep now?"

Gothi nodded her approval as Astrid helped lower Hiccup on to his good side. "Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

-line break -

Hiccup's dreams were disoriented. One minute he was back on the island. The next he was on Viggo's ship. When he wasn't in the hands on the Hunters, he was with his ancestors, calling out for his mother. No one would tell him where she was. All they did was tell him what a great warrior he was.

-line break -

"Why won't you tell me?" Hiccup asked as he tossed and turned. "Mom? Where are you? MOM!?"

Astrid wrung out the cloth in her hands and placed it on Hiccup's forehead. It hurt her to see him like this. Calling out for his dead mother.

The door behind her creaked open and Stoick walked in "How is he?"

"He has a fever. Gothi is having me keep an out for any infection," Astrid answered. "For the past hour, he's been calling out for Valka."

Stoick sat down in the other chair. "He did the same when he first lost his leg. It's times like this I wish she was still here. She would know what to do. She always did. She could calm even his darkest of dreams."

The petite warrior turned and stared at her chief. "Stoick you should know; he died earlier. If it hadn't been for Heather's quick thinking, we'd be planning his funeral."

Stoick looked at his son, whose breaths were shallow and fast. His son had died. He had crossed over to the afterlife. To Valhalla.

He placed a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "Go home and get some rest. I'll stay here with him."

Astrid shook her head. "I promised to be here when he woke up."

"Lass, it's going to be quite awhile before he wakes up. Even if he does, in the state he's in, he won't be able to tell who is here. Go home, and rest. That's an order."

Astrid's shoulders slumped in defeat as she got up. She needed to rest, but she knew she wasn't going to get any, she was more concerned about Hiccup.


	4. Chapter 4

It took three days for Hiccup's fever to break. When it finally did, they moved him from Gothi's hut to his home. Stoick had arrived with Toothless the day before. He had Hiccup's bed placed on the bottom floor, to make it easier for Gothi to treat him.

Astrid spent every waking moment in the Haddock household, talking to Hiccup as he slept. Brushing his hair out of his face. Sometimes she would add another braid to it. She would give him the herbs Gothi prescribed and spoon feed him broth. She would tend to his bruises with ice and herbal pumices, to help reduce the swelling. Toothless would be there too, crooning, sometimes licking his face to cool it down.

Stoick eventually stopped telling her to go home and let her fall asleep next to Hiccup. He came to realize that no power on Odin's green Earth was going to make her move from his son's side.

Astrid watched as Hiccup's bruises started to fade from the dark purple. They were to a pale green-yellow. Gothi had told her and Stoick that even after the bruises had faded, his skin would still be tender. When -if- he woke up, he was to remain in bed until Gothi deemed it okay.

As an added precaution, the Village Elder was keeping hold of Hiccup's new leg

Despite not having a fever or an infection of any kind, Hiccup wouldn't wake up. Not even Gothi could figure out why. Near as she could guess, the ordeal took quite a toll on Hiccup's well-being.

* * *

Late one night, while Astrid was feeding Hiccup a bowl of boar broth, the rider began to cough violently, as if he was choking. Astrid dropped the bowl and sat Hiccup up, so he could get some air into his lungs.

The coughing fit ended as quickly as it came, so Astrid laid him back down.

Hiccup's eyes flung up open.

"You're awake," Astrid gasped.

Hiccup didn't look at her. In fact, it seemed that he looking wasn't at anything.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Astrid questioned, worry lacing her voice. Toothless whined.

"I'll always watch over you," Hiccup said as a peaceful smile spread across his face and his eyes shut.

Astrid placed her ear next to his heart but heard nothing. She quickly placed her hands over his heart and began pressing down.

"Please, Hiccup, come back," Astrid pleaded as she put more force into her hands. "You can't die. Not again. We still need you. I still need you. Come back to me, Hiccup."

At that moment, Stoick walked in and saw what Astrid was doing. "What's going on? What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to restart his heart," the blonde warrior answered. "Go get Gothi."

"Aye," was all Stoick said before rushing out of his home to get Gothi.

After what seemed like forever, Astrid heard the sound of Hiccup's healing ribs crack followed by the sound of him gasping for air.

Astrid fell to her knees in relief. She looked up and saw that unlike last time, Hiccup remained unconscious.

-line break -

Ten minutes later, Stoick came bursting through the door, with Gothi right behind him.

"Is he-?" Stoick couldn't finish his question.

"He's alive, Chief," Astrid answered. "I had to re-break his ribs, to get to his heart."

Gothi walked over to Hiccup and Astrid. She placed a reassuring hand on Astrid before starting to examine him. Astrid stood up and walked over to Stoick. Together both walked outside, to give Gothi the space she needed. Toothless stayed where he was, but backed up.

Stoick looked up at the night sky. "Interesting tactic, breaking the ribs to restart the heart."

"Heather did it last time," Astrid explained as she looked at the snow beneath her feet. "Dagur taught it to her. I suppose we have him to thank for knowing what to do."

"That we do," Stoick agreed almost sad by the fact that Dagur wasn't here to be thanked.

A few moments later Gobber reached the top of the hill where they Haddock house lay. "I got here as soon as I could. How's Hiccup?"

"Gothi is determining that now," Stoick replied. "Go on in. We'll be in in a few moments."

"Aye, Chief," Gobber said as he walked in.

The two warriors stood in silence for those few moments, before heading in.

* * *

Gobber stood over Gothi and translated. "She says 'I don't know why his heart stopped, but it was good of you to restart it. He should be waking up in the next few days. His wounds are nearly healed, except for the ribs.'"

With that said, er, scribbled, Gothi and Gobber made their exit.

* * *

As Gothi said, Hiccup started to wake up two days later. Astrid and Toothless were right there with him when he opened his eyes.

Hiccup looked around until his eyes landed on Astrid. "Hey, Astrid. How long-?"

Astrid cut him off. "A little over a week. We've been very worried about you."

Hiccup moved to sit up, but Astrid held him down. "Just stay put until Gothi can look over you."

"Okay," Hiccup agreed. He studied Astrid. Her hair was no longer in its perfect braid. It was loose and messy. Any metal she usually wore had been removed. She was wearing a red tunic and black skirt. There was a blanket hanging off the chair she was sitting in. Looking over at Toothless, he saw the dragon had dark purple circles under his eyes.

"I'll be right back," Astrid said as she stood up.

Astrid stepped outside and found Stoick sitting with Skullcrusher in his stable, a sight that wasn't uncommon over the past week. Stoick could be found in his dragon's stable, praying to the gods about Hiccup. Or thinking about how his only son died, not once, but twice in the span of a week.

She walked over to him. "He's awake, finally. I don't know for how long. I'm going to go get Gothi. Toothless is watching him."

Stoick just nodded, lost in thought.

* * *

Author's Note: Beta read by DraconicBeing2.0


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup sat up in bed and allowed Gothi to poke and prod him. Toothless and Astrid stood by and talked to him, filling him in on everything that happened while he was unconscious. She didn't tell him about dying twice. She wanted to wait until they were alone.

Gothi told, er, scribbled, that Hiccup was to remain in bed until his ribs healed, which would be about six weeks. Hiccup tried to complain, but Gothi waved her staff threateningly and he kept his mouth shut.

After the Village Elder and Gobber left, Astrid sat down next to Hiccup's head and stared him. "I need to tell you something. I don't know how you'll take it."

Hiccup studied one of his best friend's eyes. They were filled with concern. "What happened?"

"You died, twice," Astrid stated. Toothless crooned.

Hiccup stared at her, before letting out a laugh. "That's a good one, Astrid. I died. That's impossible. No one comes back from the dead. Once your heart stops, that's it."

Astrid didn't laugh. Toothless warbled but otherwise stayed silent. They both simply waited for Hiccup to grasp that Astrid had been serious. Hiccup eventually stopped laughing long enough to see that they weren't joining in.

"Oh gods, you're serious," Hiccup said as realization sunk in. "But how? How could I still be here?"

The blonde warrior began explaining both times he died and what had happened. She described the sickening sound of his ribs breaking so they could get to his heart. The whole time Hiccup just stared at her, listening. He found it hard to believe that he had died. Not once, but twice.

Yet here he was living proof that it was possible to come back from the dead. He just wished he could remember it. He could find no memory of walking through the gates to Valhalla. He couldn't remember being judged by past heroes. He couldn't remember all he had been told that came with dying. Maybe there was nothing after death. Maybe it was just a dark void of nothingness for him. He wondered if his deeds were heroic enough for any kind of afterlife.

Once Astrid finished talking about his deaths, Hiccup pulled her lips to his. It was completely spontaneous. Neither pulled away, instead they brought their lips closer together. Toothless tilted his head in concern. One moment, they were talking. The next, they were eating each other's mouths. Humans were confusing.

Once they pulled apart, no words were said. They just stared at each other blushing.

Hiccup eventually fell back to sleep, while Astrid remained sitting next to his head. After a while, she moved back into the chair and watched as her boyfriend slept through the rest of the night.

* * *

Over the course of the next several weeks, Astrid and Hiccup developed their relationship in private. Well, Toothless knew, but he couldn't understand. Stealing kisses here and there. Or at least they thought it was private.

Stoick ended up catching them making out a few nights later. He promptly told Gobber, who in turn told pretty much the rest of the town. They didn't realize their secret has been blown until people start congratulating them. Finding out the next chief of Berk was in a relationship with the young woman he'd been chasing for Thor knows how long, who happens to be a beautiful, smart warrior, it was a time to celebrate.

When Hiccup was finally off bed rest, Vikings would stop him in the streets and ask when the wedding was, if they could be invited, and how soon before they started having little ones. Hiccup decided it would best to stay in his house, until Gothi said was safe for him to fly again.

* * *

After spending a month and a half in bed and another two weeks grounded from the air, Hiccup and Astrid were ready to head back to the Edge. Almost their entire stay on Berk had been spent hiding from the villagers. It was as if they were gods. Everywhere they went, people wanted to know what they were doing and their plans for the future. Even Toothless had been assaulted a few times by drunken Vikings.

Together they stood on the cliff with their bags, looking out at the ocean, ready to mount their dragons. Astrid enjoyed her trips home, but this one made her not want to come back for a long time.

Despite the relief from finally being able to leave, Astrid felt like something was off. The sun seemed to dim more and more with every passing minute. The grass and trees seemed to fade away. Even Hiccup seemed to be disappearing.

As soon as they were in the air, everything was weirder. Astrid looked at the sky in front of her. It had disappeared. She turned to look at Hiccup only to find Toothless flying by himself.

The Night Fury looked over at her and began to talk. "It's time to wake up."

Astrid quickly reached out for Stormfly's neck, only to end up hugging the air. She began to fall toward the ocean, which disappeared as soon as she looked down. Toothless caught her to keep her from falling further through the abyss.

"You can talk?!" Astrid exclaimed. Toothless just roared.

Astrid felt a tugging sensation, coming from behind her. She turned and saw Berk. It was getting smaller and smaller. Soon it would be gone. She turned Toothless around and flew back to her homeland.

As they neared Berk, everything that was white was turning darker. Toothless disappeared beneath her, yet she didn't fall. Instead she floated among the nothingness. The blonde looked around, hoping to find a way out. And she found one. On the horizon was bright light, pulling her closer.

Astrid willed herself to go faster. She had to get out of here. She didn't belong in this realm. As she neared the light, she could see inside it. There was a room with a blazing fire in the middle of it. The fire lit up the entire room. In front of the fire stood a man. His mouth was moving, but no sound came out.

She knew this man. She'd known him his whole life, but could not remember him. What was going on? Why couldn't she remember this man? What was he saying?

She reached out to the man. As she got closer, she began to remember. Just as her mind was flooded with memories, she felt a snap, and found herself in the room she had been seeing.

The man stood above her. His lips broke into a grin. "Thank the gods you're finally awake. I was so worried about you, Astrid."

 _Hiccup is his name,_ Astrid thought, staring up at him.

* * *

Author's Note: Special thanks to DraconicBeing2.0 for being a fantastic beta reader.


	6. Chapter 6

Hiccup sat in a chair next to his bed. It has been two weeks since Astrid saved him. She saw the dagger before he did and pushed him out of the way.

Since he didn't have his fake leg to fly Toothless back to Berk, Fishlegs and Heather helped him and Astrid get onto Stormfly. After they bandaged Astrid up the best they could, Heather flew ahead of them to let Gothi and Gobber know what happened.

He remembered not letting Gothi or Gobber to take a look at him until he knew Astrid would be okay. Once he was sure she would pull through, he passed out.

* * *

 _Hiccup woke up in Gothi's hut, shirtless, in a bed next to Astrid. He moved to sit up, only to have a rough but gentle hand push him back down._

 _"Easy Hiccup," a voice soothed. "Gothi is still treatin' your injuries."_

 _Hiccup didn't care about his own injuries. He was worried about, "Astrid?"_

 _"She'll be fine, lad," the voice reassured. Hiccup finally put a name to the voice. Gobber._

 _"Has she woken up yet?" Hiccup asked._

 _Gobber shook his head. "Not yet. Poor lass lost a lot of blood. She'll be out for quite a while."_

 _Hiccup pushed Gobber's hand away and sat up, not listening to the protests. He got up, hopped over to Astrid's bed and sat down at the foot of it, taking hold of her limp hand. Her shoulder and part of her chest were heavily wrapped in bandages. Her skin was pale against the white wraps. Gobber was right to say she lost a lot of blood._

 _The Pride of Berk could feel a tear run down his cheek. Astrid had been injured because of him. It was his job to take care of her._

 _"When can she be moved?" Hiccup asked._

 _"In a couple days," Gobber said glancing at Gothi as she wrote her symbols._

 _"She has three younger siblings running around in her house," Hiccup remembered. "She won't get the rest she needs there. Astrid should recover in my house. It will be quiet and calm. It will be safer."_

 _"I'll talk to her parents when they get back," Gobber promised. "Let's get you back to bed, so Gothi can finish tending to your broken ribs and various bruises."_

* * *

Hiccup placed a hand over his still healing ribs. His bruises had faded, but his entire body was still tender. He couldn't even wear his peg-leg, due to how irritated his stump was after having it yanked around.

Once the Hoffersons agreed to let their daughter stay in the Haddock house, Hiccup gave her his bed, which has been moved down stairs, and he slept in a chair.

It had been a long two weeks. He jumped to his foot every time Astrid groaned from the pain, hoping it was her waking up.

He finally understood what it had been like for his father, Astrid, and everyone else, having to wait for him to come out of his coma four years prior. It was heart wrenching not knowing when, or if.

Everyone kept reassuring him that Astrid was going to fine. Hiccup couldn't bring himself to believe that. Seeing Astrid's lightning blue eyes again would tell him all he needed to know.

So when Astrid started moving and groaning, Hiccup was on his foot once more, praying to the gods she would open her eyes. He grabbed her hand and watched.

"Come on, Astrid, you can do it," Hiccup encouraged. "Just please wake up."

Hiccup's lips broke into a smile as Astrid's eyes opened. "Thank the gods you're finally awake. I was so worried about you, Astrid."

Astrid just stared at him, confused for a moment as everything came back. "Hiccup? Where am I?"

Hiccup sat on the edge of the bed next to her hip. "You're back on Berk in my house, recovering. What do you remember?"

"We found you on the hands of Ryker. Toothless disarmed him. You fell. I helped you up. On the way over to Stormfly, Ryker through a dagger and it hit you," Astrid said.

Hiccup's smile fell. "It didn't hit me. It hit you."

Astrid tried to sit up, but Hiccup pushed her back down. "That's impossible. It hit you. Heather and I flew you back to Berk. You died and Heather brought you back to life. It was real. It happened."

"Astrid, you have fifteen stitches in your shoulder from where the dagger hit you. That says otherwise," Hiccup calmly explained. "Sounds like a dream you had, maybe to help your body cope with recovery."

Astrid stared at Hiccup. He was telling the truth, but that other world felt so real. It was real, right? Maybe if things had played out differently, the way it had in her dream. That just leaves the question if Hiccup really loves her or not. He's got to. He spent years crushing on her, back during the Dragon Raids. To some extent he has to love her.

Astrid tried to sit up, again, only to have Hiccup push her back down, again. "Just rest, Astrid. You shouldn't be up and moving yet. At least not until Gothi gets here. Which will be soon."

"How long is soon?" Astrid wondered.

"About an hour?" Hiccup shrugged.

"Why don't you go get her?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup let out a small smile. "I don't think I would get very far with one leg." Hiccup gestures to his left leg, which was missing a piece.

"Where's you prosthetic?" Astrid questioned. "And why aren't you wearing it?"

"Gothi is holding on to the spare until the swelling goes down. Having a metal leg ripped and forced off doesn't help a stump," Hiccup answered.

The two fell into a comfortable silence. Hiccup was still holding her hand, as if it was the only thing keeping her anchored to the real world.

* * *

An hour later Gothi showed up with Gobber in tow to translate. Both were happy that Astrid was awake. Hiccup moved back to his chair, allowing Gothi room to examine Astrid and change out the bandages.

The whole process took about thirty or so minutes. Gothi wrote that she should remain in bed for a few more days before getting up. If she was lucky, she would be able to fly back to the Edge in a few weeks.

Gothi gave Astrid a tonic to help relieve the pain and to help with sleep, before moving over to Hiccup. She removed Hiccup's red tunic and looked at his ribs, occasionally poking them. Once she was done, she moved on to the stump, checking the swelling.

When the elder finished, she wrote that Hiccup could have his metal leg back since the swelling was gone, but not too much pressure on it. It would be another month before his ribs were completely healed and he could not fly until she gave the okay.

After they left, Hiccup went right back to sitting on the bed with Astrid, holding her hand. Astrid hesitated for a second, but relaxed. She knew Hiccup loved her, and that he wanted to make his move. The time just wasn't right. He was waiting for the perfect moment. And that was fine with her.


End file.
